Episode 57 - Greg Tomchick

Greg played three seasons in the minor leagues before pursuing his other passion, running a software development company founded while earning its Bachelor of Science and Business at the SHR College of Business. That's where the story really gets interesting, but we'll get to that a little bit later. Greg, welcome to the best and only O D U podcast.

My brother always followed in his footsteps from middle school, um, through to high school and kind of, you know, that led him to Old Dominion. Obviously looking up to an older, older sibling, older brother, um, O D U was always kind of top of mind. I had a couple other offers in the state of Virginia and, and one out of the state of North Carolina. Really wanted to go to a school that was gonna give me an opportunity to play, from the start to have an impact.

That was something that was always important to me as a person. and I knew that if I got the opportunity to play that I would hopefully find a way to persevere and grow into a model. they gave me that opportunity actually offered me a two-way, uh, scholarship, which was something that was really unique at that time for the players, that I was associated with. Um, that later changed.

but, going into O D U, it was really the place that I wanted to see myself and was able to be around some great guys, throughout that experience, which we'll talk about here shortly.

You know, there wasn't really a way for him to, you know, be my protector. There was a lot of different, things living in the dorms, obviously living at Whitehurst, uh, which was an incredible experience. That's, that's kind of where I feel my journey at O D U started was, walking out of the car, from my parents waving goodbye and, you know, dropping my bags off and they start driving away and I'm like, I get to live without my parents for a full year. That's pretty, pretty cool stuff.

Especially on the campus there, which is incredible. Um, he was living, over on, uh, Bluestone at the time, and, uh, so he had a house over there with a couple guys. and it was just kind of interesting kind of colliding when we were on the field in the locker room, the weight room, but kind of stayed, separate most of the time.

Um, because, I was kind of, you know, really into the, you know, the, the mess halls and the eating halls and things of that nature with, with some of the other freshman baseball guys.

Um, but he still kind of had that mentorship role for me, uh, throughout my experience, at O D U. But I think he kind of learned the lesson in, in high school, that he didn't want to be the big brother that was, hold holding his little brother's hand and um, you know, kind of making it not the full experience at the end of the day. So it was definitely incredible to have somebody to look up to. Um, but I also found other brothers there.

I think that's one of the things in college that's a little bit different than high school. Everybody's there for the reason to grow, as, athletes, as in school and as people. Um, so you really, that's kind of the brotherhood that we built in the locker room. And I was able to look up to my brother, but also some of the other older guys, Phil McCarthy and, and some of those other guys that came in and were able to take me under their wing.

Um, obviously I didn't know what to expect, um, but it ended up great. fin Wood really gave me that focus that I needed. not to focus on too many things, first and playing third as well as pitching. that's a lot to handle, especially getting into a new environment, a new level of competition, which was way higher than I was used to in high school and showcase ball. Finn Wood offered a lot and a coach that I didn't get previously.

Um, one of those things that I always like to highlight when I talk to folks in the community is, Finn Wood was an English major and he was very big on philosophy. and I use that today in business with some of the mindset stuff I do. You know, when I speak in public, most of the time it's around kind of the connected mindset. Helping people kind of make those connections, both from a cybersecurity perspective, but also from a, personal development perspective.

And he really laid the foundation for that. because I struggled so much in school, I didn't really look outside of what I needed to do mentally and unless it was around baseball. Um, so I struggled my first year in school. he saw that, he was able to kind of mentor me, um, as a coach, as a, you know, mentor, um, through kind of some of those school struggles, which, probably paid off. So it, it's all timing.

I, I tried to make the best of it, and he's done a heck of a job with the program up to this point.

Taylor Heineke was in the dorms, you know, next door. Um, and, and we all know how incredible of a player he became. Um, but it was, it was kind of one of those things where there was a lot of changes going on across Old Dominion Athletics at the time. So it was, it was cool to be a part of. It was cool to observe. Um, but it was, you know, really before a lot of this stuff that athletes have today was really extremely formalized, like study hall and things of that nature.

it wasn't the high touch experience that I hear guys are getting today. It was kind of dictated by what you requested. So if you didn't ask for help, People assumed that you were, you know, doing well, you know, academically or, mentally on the field. obviously with, with N I L nowadays, um, that would've been something that I would've enjoyed being a part of.

Um, I always kind of had that, you know, entrepreneurial mind to try to create value for others and make, make some, uh, I call it certifications of serving, dollars cents. but you know, I worked for a couple of textbook companies, throughout my college, journey before kind of starting my own company later on, um, in that process. But, you know, college athletics was very, you know, it was athletics and then it was school.

And I think sometimes, you know, those kind of, either, either conflicted or intersected. coming in I was all about athletics. Um, I did not really care about school at the time because I really just wanted to play baseball. And the guys that I saw around me, At least the ones that did well in school. they didn't really talk about it much because it was relatively easy for them. I didn't see many guys struggling with school and, or maybe they just didn't talk about it.

Um, so I just thought it was just me, to some extent that I was just the one that was struggling and, you know, I wasn't focused on the right thing. I think overall it was a transition period for Monarch Nation overall. definitely in the athletic department. So it was, it was an incredible time to be a part of that transition and hopefully, I was able to do some good, throughout that program to set it up for the path that's on now.

You know, we were kind of like a 500 team, so we weren't blowing people out of the water. some weekends we'd win two outta three, some we'd lose, um, two outta three. So it was kind of that up and down, and we were always battling, and I think that made us all better as players. once we got into the Meyer Leagues or got into the race to be drafted. Um, I think scouts realized that we've been through struggle.

We weren't at a school that, won 90% of the games a year and, really we're just used to winning. Which, you know, I think scouts value that kind of failure fitness. I talk about that a lot in the business world today is, a lot of investors and, and folks that look for people to invest their time and money in, they look for failure. Um, and, and we failed a lot, from freshman, sophomore year and then Yarborough and, and, uh, some of those other guys coming in from junior college.

that's really where we started to win when those two kind of pieces came together. And that was a huge, you know, con, con contribute to, um, not a maker in Fenwood because that's what they were looking to kind of bring together to really put the program on the right. Um, train tracks was kind of bring together the, the guys that got recruited as freshmen and then some of the guys from junior college to kind of bring those expertises together.

Um, and it was, definitely one of those things where I learned from them, you know, I think they learned a thing or th a thing or two from me. Um, and we kind of just blended well to hopefully make, the best outcome at the end of the day, which was us winning baseball games. And, uh, they always had that mindset as well of, it's not just about me, even though I may be one of the top players, it's about me contributing to the overall success of the team, which you don't get that in many places.

I realized that, as I got older and, as I played in different minor league teams, There's a lot of the best guys sometimes are all for themselves. And I think that's just a culture that, Fenwood didn't, um, put up with. He wanted to build a team that all had the, the right culture.

and that, at the end of the day helps you get through those obstacles you hit and that, seventh inning when you're down by two and some guy gets thrown out, do you let that momentum bring you down or do you say, that's a situation we need to, we need to leverage and try to get momentum back. And he always did a great job of that at kind of setting that standard, setting that morale.

When you looked down the wall, you were running polls or you were struggling running suicides or it was a bad game and you were, running, you know, running back and forth just to kind of get some of that lactic acid out. You're able to look to some of those guys and say, they probably went through a similar struggle like this, but now they're at that point. So he always had that connection to kind of the philosophy and how young people process things.

And then we got the new scoreboard from a donation and things started to really come together. and then obviously some of the turf, you know, was laid and the, the, you know, the big new logo and then Rally alley came in. And that was one of the things that really brought fans in that wanted to kind of heckle. Um, and, the opposing team doesn't like hecklers.

And we realized that when we'd go into other places like J M U or Southern Miss, those home fans, that heckle are the home team's best friend and the away team's, you know, worst nightmare. that's one of those cultures you need within a sports program to help elevate, games, make them more exciting, make them loud, more loud. And it, it honestly increases your adrenaline as a player, which I think makes you perform either worse or better.

Most of the guys on our team performed better in that, um, case scenario. And that's one of the things that elevated me when I was able to pitch at Harbor Park against U V A when we beat them. One of those years is, I think we had, I think it was like 13,000, or it was, it was a ridiculous amount of fans, but it felt like, just like playing in the bud, because we had that increase in fans over time who were creating more noise, creating more, um, more hype.

So we were ready for those environments. And when we got put, I think they were actually number one in the nation at that time, and we ended up beating 'em. And it wasn't just another game for us because it was U V A, but we were ready for the, that scenario as opposed to going from like a, you know, say we had a hundred fans at a game going to 13,000, we would've been, shellshocked, uh, to be able to play in that stadium.

So all those things added up, to see rally alley, how far it's come, from just being a deck to, a couple kegs, to now being, something much bigger with seats and something that people can stand at with a table. Um, it's just incredible. And to see where the stadium's headed now with the new seats and. Some of these renovations, I think it increases the fan experience and that's what most people see, but it also increases the player experience, which I think is commonly underlooked.

And that's something that Fenwood, I think recognizes from being the dugout, how much more players are into it because that fan experience is increased.

Something I didn't know about Old Dominion History or someone we bring to the game goes, oh, they played at Old Dominion. and then Mike and I have met more people and players parents in rally alley. So that, that connection to the program, to the players, it's just another foundational, kind of a brick, another brick that coach Fin Wood and whoever he's working with to, to do those things, it really makes a difference.

but before I move on, you mentioned that the players like Rally Alley because fans tend to chirp and like to give the opposing team a little bit of a hard time. So Mike and I are always interested in what players are the best chirps and the best, smack talkers on the field. Did you. Have one guy that you always thought was the best or maybe the funniest when it comes to doing that out of your dugout.

but it, it, it was kind of interesting, you know, it was, it was it kind of bo and weaved, you know, throughout the season, which people were, were up, which people were down. I think it, it come, came down to playing time, for some guys, like, some guys, really, maybe at the beginning of the season they may not have been getting as much playing time and then they got some, and so I think it, it, it's all about that morale because the season's long.

Like it feels very short when you're in it, but it, you're there every single day. so I think those two guys kind of stick out. Um, As kind of the two, the two funny guys, uh, because they would just make faces and things and, and you, you make that connection with fans where, you know, nowadays players lines, you know, back to the dugout, like they're saluting or they're doing, you know, certain, putting people in, in a, in a headlock like things of that nature to give back to the dugout.

That kind of stuff wasn't really around at that time. Like, it was kind of just like a salute, things of that nature. So I think that's one of the ways the game has changed. Um, but I did see that from those two guys. Like to the fans, like they would look in rally alley and, find a friend or find a parent and give them a sign, which I always thought was cool because that brings the fans more into the game, which makes it overall a great, great experience from that standpoint.

So definitely say those two guys, but I'm sure there were some others that, uh, that, that had some craziness throughout the different seasons.

So whenever somebody would get mad, they'd come in there with their glove or, you know, chuck it against someone's locker and then you can come in and maybe there's a, a piece of wood missing from your locker 'cause somebody got angry. So, um, I think it, you know, it, it's definitely one of those things where it's probably time. But, but that type of closeness also brings, you know, guys, I think closer because you're, you know, you're in close quarters.

You have to find a way to work together to get dressed together. Like it's, it's that type of morale that I think brought a lot of the guys closer. Um, but I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like. Obviously, I know, uh, Finn Wood's gonna have a great branding behind it. He has that kind of mindset around, you know, making sure that it's a clean brand, you know, it really represents the character. And that just goes back to that philosophy piece.

Like he's just a, a deep thinker and that's something that I always admired in him and something that, you know, I try to adopt with the, the team I lead today. Um, and just try to be that kind of voice of reason when things get hard, but also building that resilience muscle when things are going right. Um, a lot of times, coaches maybe stop, stop kind of giving you advice when things are going right because of that superstition that we all have in sports.

But he was kind of that voice of consistency, which you really need from a leader, from a coach, um, through those ups and downs.

That's what I told 'em from the start. Hey, I've, I. I've been through the ups and downs. I went from Old Dominion to junior college and back to Old Dominion. thankfully with, Fenwood and the staff offering me an opportunity to come back and, you know, really make my mark, um, from that standpoint. it was kind of one of those things where my head was, floating above my body.

Um, you know, I was trying to make words to my parents on how excited I was and how thankful I was for the continual opportunities and support that they gave me, which was, you know, first and foremost. And, um, obviously bringing friends and family together. but I didn't know what to expect. You know, I reported first day State College, Pennsylvania for the State College spikes, uh, which was short season at the time.

You know, I got to be with Jordan Hicks, you know, some of the guy, you know, Tommy Edmond, some of these guys were, in the locker room, coming from Stanford or coming outta high school. And, being those guys who you knew were gonna make it, um, just based off of how they carried themselves and the type of players they were. But it was a culture shock. Everybody kind of got the same opportunity. Um, it was an incredible first summer. Um, but you realize how good you have it in college.

It's kind of like you go from college, these really nice buses, you know, you're eating well, you know, you're, you're getting this, you know, top notch, you know, treatment in, in the, in the locker room there and, and out in the, uh, in, in the center behind, behind the stadium. And then you go to the minor leagues and it's kind of like, you know, you're going back to these smaller buses.

you're sitting with a guy every, every bus trip, um, you know, you're eating sandwiches and pizza and, uh, you know, you're busting around to the different stadiums and you're, it's all late nights. So they're, they're not as caring about, um, I guess that like sleep recovery, things of that nature that they are nowadays. Um, and college kind of baked that into us was, you have to care about that.

I saw with a lot of the high school guys, they didn't have that routine we got from college, so it was. It was one of those experiences I really enjoyed. You know, I loved the opportunity, um, just to be able to play with some of those guys and then go to spring training the next year and play with Wayne Wright and, uh, and, and Yadi and some of those guys. It was, it was an experience. I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade for the world.

Um, some, you know, most of the time they'll feed you after games and they'll give you peanut butter and jelly before the games. The, the standard has increased quite a bit, uh, since then, and, and the pays actually increased as well, which is something I was working on when I was in the minor leagues, and that's all kind of coming into fruition, which is cool to see. from that standpoint, one of the cool things I saw was kind of this self-sufficiency that was created throughout the team.

Like some of the guys that were coming outta high school that got a bunch of money would kind of maybe take one or two guys under their, um, under their wing. Obviously I had my small business that I was running at the time, so I was able to kind of use some of that, um, to help me do it. I think it's, it's the support system from the town.

And I think this is one of the things I never understood about minor league baseball is how important the, the community and the town that you're in is to your experience with that minor league baseball team.

Like they really take these teams under their wing and, and try to find a way through, you know, almost like a booster club, um, type structure or this host family structure, or even the coaches, sometimes the coaches will even, you know, give into a pot of money that says, Hey, we're gonna, you know, all go out to dinner on our day off, or something of that nature.

So they, they kind of found ways to make it work, but you have just enough to get by, which, you know, can help you with budgeting, can help you with those types of things. But I think one of the things that happens, you know, after you get that out of that experience is a lot of guys, when they start making money, they don't know what to do with it.

And you commonly hear that as a story with pro athletes, whether they're making millions or they're just starting out making a couple thousand is when they get out and they have. They commonly have issues. You know, I, I saw guys that made 2 million in the draft and, you know, they were getting paid buku bucks. Maybe they made it up to the major leagues for a year and then, two years later they're, bankrupt and they don't have any money left.

So it's, it's kind of a little bit of, of that, financial education, things of that nature. A lot of guys that I've seen get into that financial education business to try to educate, you know, future athletes. So it's a little bit, it's definitely a lot of the town. it's a lot of the, this is all I have, maybe I'll go to McDonald's instead of going to a restaurant and sitting down at Chili's and getting something that may be a little bit better for the nutrition.

but you just realize that, when we have to make it work, we find a way to do it as humans. So,

I really wanted to be a business major and it was, it was just by happen chance that Mark Strom and his family, uh, decided to donate, I think it was 10 million at the time, to an entrepreneurial center. And it was just the perfect timing for me to come in and say, Hey, I'd love to, you know, I'm an athlete, you know, this is something I'm passionate about.

And I basically came across the professor who was my first semester professor, first class of the year, who was gonna be the executive director of the, the Stro Center in one of my business classes, and said, you know, hey, I used to run a company in my neighborhood helping people, you know, pick flowers and mow their lawn and things of that nature. And I said, I'd love to see how, if this can be a viable business for other, high schoolers that are, you know, in my community.

We basically kind of, he kind of took me under his wing. We decided to put together a business plan for what every entrepreneur would need that goes through the Strom Center, which was a website or an application to tell the world what they were trying to develop, whether it was a product or a service. it ended up being a, a platform for something that, you know, developed to what I'm doing today.

But it was one of those opportunities where you look back and say, if everything in the world didn't align, it wouldn't happen. And it was, it was just one of those alignments that, you know, sets set somebody up that, you know, wasn't a great academic, but I knew I had, you know, a lot of lessons from baseball that I could, you know, give over to people. And, you know, I connected some computer science students to develop these platforms for the folks.

And I wanted to be the person to kinda help talk to it because I knew some of these technical individuals didn't wanna talk to people. They wanted to develop cool widgets and, and cool technologies. And, um, it was, it was a great, uh, experience for me, very thankful for what Markstrom and, and his family have done for that center. And I go back there at least once a year and, visit with the students and, you know, talk about my experience there.

And I. Each year it looks like 10 or 10 or so students are kind of added to that crowd. So it's just cool to see, you know, if you think about yourself looking at a classroom, you know, it starts as kind of the front row and then it, it like fills up, you know, over time. And it's just cool to see that filling up process and it continue to grow.

Uh, one of the things I'm working on with them is a, alumni entrepreneurship, not club, but like a, like a board that can come in and, people who have been at the school previously that are either executives and companies or running their own company and kind of give back to some of those students and, and kind of help shape, how they're educated around entrepreneurship to help connect them, you know, to real world opportunities.

And that's something I'm really passionate about and, and I know that, uh, you know, they're in support of it. Just trying to bring the right people together.

I was in the Meyer Leagues at the time, and we had, we had a cyber attack that happened on one of our, uh, websites that we developed. Uh, we didn't even know what a cyber attack was at that time. And, you know, I didn't have anybody that I could call and say, Hey, you know, I had a cyber attack, what should I do? a lot of people just call the F B I and you know, I didn't want to just call law enforcement and say, Hey, this small company that I started, you know, has, is having a cyber attack.

What should I do? so basically we, we found somebody, out of the state, actually, not even in Virginia, that was able to help us, but it was a significant financial, burden in order to kind of pay and get everything back and running. So that basically put us out of business. it's trial by fire. it's like I think about being on the mound and those really bad games where you just can't throw a pitch that they don't smash, in the gap or, you know, over somebody's head.

If you don't go through that, then you don't know how to, you know, adapt and pitch when the games are good. Um, and that's something, you know, I always try to connect to is using failure for, um, a blessing, not a curse. eventually that led me to the business I'm in today because I felt that pain.

And I know executives are going through it, and I want to be that person that they can call and say, Hey, you're the guys and girls that, know how to help us put out the fire and maybe even prevent it, um, before it takes place because you felt it before. I think that's what brings a lot of people to their kind of enlightenment of the way they want to serve folks.

they've seen something that can be improved and that's kind of that value creation, value exchange process that, I try to create on a daily basis.

And it was, I think Michael Wu heard that I came and, you know, was interested in cybersecurity and things of that nature and was getting into the field after minor league baseball. he was able to ask me some, some smart questions. Uh, hopefully I was able to give him some good answers, but just how, how much it's grown. I think they had, when he first came to me, he said, you know, we have 15 students that are gonna join the program.

I know they have hundreds now, nowadays they have all kinds of labs and, classes on risk management. they've really done a great job of making it interdisciplinary where, you know, even if you're going there to get a business degree or a finance degree, you can take a couple of cybersecurity classes. in order to be educated on it. Obviously we're huge proponents that everybody needs to at least know a little bit about it.

because you're gonna be dealing with some type of technology or technology system in any business you're in. and understanding what to look for and, and how to protect it, I think is very important. so I'm looking forward to continuing to support that, that cybersecurity school.

I go back once a year and speak at their cyber con that they have, it's actually coming up in September and uh, a lot of the students are very passionate about it, so it's cool to see like, The passion for, for the monarchs in O D U as a university, but then passion for a subject that, is deeply ingrained in me and something that I'm, day in and day out trying to get people to really kind of click on. so these students are really something that really raises my bar and fills my cup.

Um, to be able to see that at a place such as O D U, that is really something that's so important to me.

we were recently in the, the edition of, Monarch magazine that just came out that kind of told our story and it was, Tom Chick finds a win from a cyber attack, which is kind of a pun and kind of backwards, but, um, you know, it just shows that, you know, as Aaron mentioned earlier, kind of that failure fitness, I turn that failure into hopefully something that I'm, giving to other people as a blessing and not a curse like we're seeing, you know, throughout the economy.

all three of them have been vital in my journey. And O D U is where they all started their career. So it just, it shows how important the foundation of, of your learning and the foundation of the community you build is. and a lot of times that's how magic happens. And, you know, when I go back to college, I always tell kids, remember those people you meet? You know, because you never know when they're gonna come back into your life.

It's probably gonna be with a bang, just like, uh, you know, Monarch Nation typically does. And, uh, you know, I'm definitely fortunate to, you know, have the opportunity to collaborate with Monarchs now and, and going forward.

so web center was where we all were able to get together after practice. Maybe we were studying together, eating, chopping it up and chatting about, girls or life or what we were gonna do on the weekend, things of that nature. And, it allowed us to eat together, break bread, you know, whatever you want to call it. but really make memories that I. At the time, you're kind of sitting at the table like, Hey, we're just having a conversation. But those are the things you look back on.

You're like, man, that was a really good laugh. Or, you know, it was really cool when, somebody tried to jump on the table and, did a flip off it or, you know, something like that. It just, those are the connections, those small connections you make that have a big impact, later on down the road. And it was also a time where Broderick was increasing the quality of the food. so we went, we came in freshman year.

We were eating in Whitehurst obviously, it was a lot of cookies and ice cream and pizza and um, and wraps and things of that nature. And one of the things they used to joke about was Web WebCenter had the better food because they had like salads and smoothies or like, things of that nature. So we always were like, Hey, we're just gonna hang out at WebCenter and maybe we will, find, we'll put a tent up in there, uh, just so we can eat better.

And it was just kind of a joke at the time, but, WebCenter was definitely the place to be. It was an opportunity for us to intermingle with other students as well. so it was kind of that hodgepodge of, different cultures and, what O D U is all about. we get students from inter international students all the way to students from Northern Virginia and New Jersey and you know, obviously students from the local area.

And, to be able to take all that in was important to us as baseball players and as students and um, that's kind of where we like to hang our hat.

And so that was one of those things that, you remember food. And that's just one of those things that I think stick out when we have an experience. And I think he did a heck of a job creating that for us.

I think just watching Whitehurst kind of develop, because when we were there it was still like the, those gym walls, if you guys know what I'm talking about, those white walls where you can like smell the history in there. Um, so I think just watching those developments is pretty cool. And then obviously like rally alley as that develops. That's kind of one of those spots.

Even if I'm, across the campus, I'll always go there and kind of check it out just to see the recent developments, um, from that standpoint. And then I know there's some new art centers going on. I actually used to live on 49th, so there's a couple new buildings over there where they're doing like the concert hall kind of area. So that's always cool to see. Um, and then I know Monarch Way's got some new restaurants and, uh, I always like to check those out.

I know they have Insomnia Cookies and some of those new spots that I wish I had when I was there. Um, maybe it's not there anymore. But, um, they got a co couple, couple of new spots that, um, I like to check checkout and, uh, you know, it's not just Mojo Bones, the Edge and, um, and the Mexican spot anymore. There's a couple new, uh, new places to hang your hat and eat, which is always good.

Um, so I definitely say, you know, check out the different areas of Norfolk and what it has to offer. Because that gives you the full, you know, school experience. You're not just living on campus, you're living in the whole city. so kind of have that, that global reach, that global view when you're a student, I think that's critically important. You know, go check out the sporting events, go check out the basketball games. Football games obviously are always a great time.

baseball games take in, you know, the culture that, that Norfolk has to offer. one of the funny things is when some of the junior college guys came in for the first time, they mentioned that nana maker said, Hey, you know, you want to come, play at the beach, in, in a tropical area.

And, uh, they were like, oh yeah, I'd love to, like these guys are coming from Iowa and, um, you know, different parts where they didn't have a beach and, they would come and, and really appreciate, they would see like trees that looked like, beach trees. And they would be like, Hey, we're 15 minutes from the beach.

They really appreciated the accessibility to things that we have around here, which kind of gave me that, that renewed appreciation for how much we do have around here that a lot of people, I think take advantage of including me. sometimes I take it for granted, but, just to kind have people come in the area and kind of give you the, hey, have you checked out Granby Street, or, Hey, have you, checked out Ocean View or anything of that nature.

It just gives you that, renewed perspective on the culture that we do have here. And, you know, I think that anybody looking into college should always do that around the colleges that they're interested in. And, um, if you're currently at O D U, you know, continue to broaden your horizons, check out Virginia Beach and, if you're thinking about going anywhere else to work, I think there's a lot of job opportunities here.

if you put yourself out there and, you know, ask the right people, where to look. And, uh, assembly is one of those buildings that you can go and say, Hey, I'm looking for a company that does X, Y, Z and they're probably a center of the universe to connect you with an internship or, you know, maybe a summer job.

And when I was in college, I didn't even know what sushi was. I didn't, you know, I thought raw fish. that's not something I would be interested in. So, um, definitely wanna throw that one in there. Just, I think we have some good sushi around here just to, Throw it out there. I've been to some places, you know, the New York's, the northern states that don't really have the best sushi. And I come back home and I'm like, I need, I need sushi from Virginia Beach or Norfolk.

And you realize how fresh it is, just based off being close to the water that a lot of places don't get, whether if they're in Illinois or some of the other kind of central states. So,

It's, you can taste the difference between their sushi and anywhere else. While there are other good sushi spots in the area, Orion's is just a different level.

So it's, uh, l y or L I Q W Y D. Um, that's my current favorite one. But my first year in the minor leagues, they asked us questions about music. It was Enemy by the State was my, was a song that I really liked. It's, it's a, it's alternative rock. And they put enema of the state on the, uh, it was a typo. And everybody came up as, and these were new fans. They were like, who's, who's this guy? And why would he say enema of the state? Like, that's not a song. I, I searched it.

And, uh, so it was just like a good connection ritual with the fans. They were like, why is this Greg guy, like Animo State? So, my music genres have, uh, have evolved over the years. Um, you know, I have little, little kids now, so hardcore, hardcore rock and roll like I used to listen to and jam out too. Sometimes we'll keep them awake. So the, the chiller, um, you know, type e d m kind of, you know, chill beats have been, um, more, more, uh, palatable in this household.

So I've been clinging to that a little bit more. Um, but always liked the, uh, the classics.

You know, I wanted to build a company that helped executives and helped leaders. Think about and implement cybersecurity into their culture, because at the end of the day, it's, it's culture just like baseball was. Um, so we, we consider ourselves a team of cybersecurity coaches, just like a coach in sports that helps businesses protect and secure what they value most. Which a lot of times what companies value nowadays is either money or technology.

Um, obviously the people part is a, is a key component to that. Um, so we basically provide assessments and, and help companies implement cybersecurity. And we all know how important it's today because we see it in the headlines.

we're a team of five right now, so we're gonna continue to kind of build and, and build, you know, from, from Norfolk, from, you know, the backyard that where we went to school and um, you know, we've been able to work for companies within the state as well as out of the state. And, uh, just gonna continue to spread the good word and, and hopefully help people avoid that pain that I was once in.

So it's, it's been an incredible journey to be able to lead a business and, take some of those lessons I learned from coaches along my journey, whether it was in the minor leagues at O D U or, throughout my, childhood and high school career. it's been incredible. And I continue to learn from great leaders. that's what I always want to surround myself with, is people that, have differing experiences than I have.

to be able to give me a new lens on how to look at business, how to look at leadership, and how to look at leading a team in such a technology heavy world that we live in today. it becomes hard to connect with people.

and I think a lot of the responsibility kind of comes down to, coaches like us or people that are, translators of this stuff to say, technology is one of those things that sometimes disconnects us from people, but, you know, we're really here to protect what you value most, which is your, you know, technology, the money you guys have, as well as your people. And that's what we're ultimately focused on. A lot of what we do is at the executive level.

So it's, interfacing with boards or executives on, strategy and thinking about how to protect that strategy from being taken down by, people that want to see, bad things happen to you. And, that's the stuff that I really love and something that I go out into the community and talk about, more, more often than not, free of charge just to bring awareness to a lot of this stuff. And, um, that's one of the things that, is key to me.

You know, I used to see, you know, Wayne Gomes and some of these other guys would come back in their off seasons and talk at these camps when I was a, you know, young player. And I knew the impact that had on me because they had knowledge that I didn't have.

So if I can impart that on people that may not know a lot about cybersecurity and leave them a little bit better off, um, that's what we're doing as a company and it's, it's served us well up to this point, and I think it'll continue to serve us well. Because we have that right approach about, people first, technology second, and then, you know, you put those two things together and that's gonna make, your company a lot of money at the end of the day.

'cause you're gonna bring a lot of value to other people. that's kind of my business philosophy. I, you know, take that into the world and continue to evolve it. Um, but it's a very exciting space. Um, you know, as robots and hoverboards and, you know, connected cars that drive themselves continue to become more of our daily, you know, daily routine, daily life. Um, you know, the security of that and the integrity of protecting that, it becomes even more important.

Um, so we're gonna continue to, you know, hopefully be that, that voice of reason as companies make decisions around digitally expanding their company and, um, you know, serve a lot of of great people along the way. I.

And, uh, that's something that, uh, we're continuing to grow that service offering because a need for a lot of the folks that we serve when the bad does hit, um, but we, we call 'em, uh, sovereign groups so that you have the threat groups, the bad guys, and then you have the sovereign groups who are the, same skillset but are in it for the, the positive reasons, not the negatives.

we partner with some of those, uh, sovereign groups to help make sure that those bad guys and girls, don't do it multiple times to the same organization. And, that's kind of how you minimize those occurrences. And we're trying to be a, a, uh, catalyst for change in that equation.

Uh, that's one of those causes that, you know, I really connect with because I always, I always knew that, players and people in the community all had different skill sets and superpowers and, you realize, you know, how much when you help somebody get what they want instead of just thinking about what you want, um, usually, you know, you connect to, to a higher, um, a higher purpose.

And um, that's one of those things I always try to contribute, whether it's coaching, you know, people in the Special Olympics or just being out there to support them. Um, you know, a lot of the Special Olympics would come out to support us as players at games or at practices. And, um, those are two organizations that I'm heavily involved in and will continue to be, um, in the community.

Obviously we have a lot of great nonprofits in the community around here, uh, with the military, um, huge military support system. Both my parents were Navy, so. Definitely try to give back to, to some of those causes. But, uh, you know, really the top two are American Heart Association, special Olympics.

So, um, I, I look forward to continuing to see the positive momentum that's being built with, you know, Hemphill coming in, um, you know, leaving his mark, um, the baseball program, all the sports programs, really continuing the momentum they're building. It's just, it's incredible to kind of just sit back and look at how far it's come. Um, so definitely soak in all the great things that have happened over the past, you know, five, seven years.

And, uh, let's, let's continue to make that multiplier effect, um, improvement as we go forward. And I'm excited to be a part of it. Um, how you can find me, I'm pretty pretty involved on LinkedIn. Um, valor cybersecurity.com is how you can find our company and, uh, looking forward to continuing to serve the community, the wider community in Hampton Roads, but you know, the community that's, you know, near and dear to my heart, you know, Monarch Nation and, uh, Aaron.

Mike, thanks so much for what you guys continue to do for the community. Um, I, I see you guys, you know, newspapers all the time and, um, just the positive things you guys are doing to help the Monarch community better connect, um, you know, to other folks in it, whether that's traveling people across the state to sporting events or, you know, just doing all the great things that you guys do throughout the different seasons. Uh, I really wanna acknowledge you for that and appreciate it.

Um, I think we need, you know, more of that and you guys are leaders, um, to make that happen. So, you know, definitely appreciate it. Looking forward to continuing to be a part of it.